Are there any repair manuals available for Craftsman riding tractors? Not the engine but the tractor itself? I have the owners manual but it only covers lightweight owner maintenance.

I just had to replace a mandrel and spindle and had a heck of a time figuring out how to do it looking on forums. There must be a service manual for these machines that shows how to do the more difficult repairs.

I have two Craftsman tractors (I use one while I'm fixing the other!).

I don't know that I've ever seen a service manual for a Sears or Craftsman tractor. Sears used have a full service center at every store and as such they wanted to do the service for you! there are some pretty good exploded views on their parts direct site if that will help you at all.

The parts diagrams are the best part of the owners manuals but there isn't much else in them that I find too useful. Sears must have produced printed manuals for their employees in order to fix the machines. For instance, I just replaced the spindle and I saw a youtube video that said the torque required for that top nut was between 55 and 65 lbs. That specification isn't in the owners manual but it must be printed somewhere. I believe these machines were made by American Yard Products which I think is a division of Husqvarna which I think was owned by Electrolux when my tractors were made in the early 1990s. It's just hard to believe that even with millions of these units around, the manufacturer never produced a service manual.